Qhuinn
Qhuinn, blooded son of Lohstrong and an unnamed female Vampire, was the third son and last child of one of the six founding families of the glymera. ''His blooded siblings are: Solange (the eldest, a female) and Luchas (the middle child, a male and eldest son). His blooded cousin is Saxton (from which side of the family they are related is unstated in novel canon). As of ''Lover Enshrined, Qhuinn was officially disowned by his blooded family for having a genetic defect: complete heterochromia - two different colored eyes (one blue, one green) which resulted in colour blindness. Qhuinn has been unofficially adopted by Blaylock's parents and by the Black Dagger Brotherhood, however. Qhuinn's blooded father, mother, and possibly his sister were all later murdered by Lash in Lover Enshrined, while his brother, Luchas, was taken by Lash and suspended, unconscious, in a barrel of The Omega's black essence for a purpose known. Luchas was eventually found and rescued by Qhuinn in Lover At Last, and he was checked out by the Brother, Vishous, and found to be free to their enemy's 'taint'. That rescue allowed Luchas to reveal that he'd never liked their blooded father, either, and thought that what had happened to Qhuinn had been wrong. The two blooded brothers made amends and agreed to move forward, but to date in the novel canon, Luchas' fate and whether he and Qhuinn have actually fixed their relationship remains unknown. Between Lover Enshrined until half-way through Lover At Last, Qhuinn was named ahstrux nohstrum (protector/bodyguard) of John Matthew (Tehrror), but as of Lover At Last, was freed of that obligation and was indoctrinated into the Black Dagger Brotherhood, after the old laws of the Vampire nation were changed (thanks to his cousin, Saxton's efforts on his behalf). As of Lover At Last, Qhuinn is the father of Layla's unborn young and mated to Blaylock (a.k.a. Blay), son of Rocke. Relationships Layla, the Fallen Chosen In Lover Mine, Qhuinn slowly begins teaching Layla about sex, at her request. They do not, however, engage in actual penetrative sex until she goes through her needing in Lover Reborn. It is only then that Qhuinn takes Layla's virginity. As a result of servicing her during her needing, Layla becomes pregnant with Qhuinn's child. The two agreed in advance that their coupling would be a thing done out of a need to have something unconditional to love and be loved back by, and that there was no greater emotional entanglements between them. Layla is aware that Qhuinn and Blaylock are in love with each other, and refuses to come between them. Despite the fact they are more friends than lovers, Qhuinn still takes admirable care of Layla during her pregnancy, and is excited for the birth of his child (whom he has already forseen in his 'death dream' back in Lover Enshrined, will be female). Blaylock, son of Rocke Qhuinn has always had some feelings for his friend Blay, but because of his desire to try and be as 'normal' as possible (by glymera standards) he denies these feelings to himself. At Blay's request, however, the two share a heated kiss in Lover Enshrined. That kiss changes things for Qhuinn, making him realise his feelings for Blaylock run deeper than he'd been willing to admit. He still runs scared from the idea, though, continuing to engage in a slew of one-offs that poor Blaylock is forced to endure watching or hearing (as he, Blaylock, and John Matthew are usually assigned to patrol duty together and that often translates into spending time-off hours together as well). He refuses to entertain the idea of being with Blay, determined to have a 'normal, respectful' life with a female and children (the glymera ''family ideal, which Qhuinn's father implied he'd never have as he was a 'freak' due to his heterochromia). Eventually, Blay decides he needs to move on and so he agrees to go on a date with Qhuinn's more refined, educated, and strikingly handsome cousin, Saxton, who is the Brotherhood's new lawyer. Qhuinn's jealousy over his event triggers two reactions from him: the first is that he kisses Blay again, and the second, Qhuinn's bonding scent appears for the first time. However, Qhuinn's stubborn insistence of staying the course when it comes to his future (re: mating a female) keeps him from pursuing Blay. As a result, Blay and Saxton have a nice first date that ends with Saxton and Blay kissing -- a scene Qhuinn witnesses. Later the next day, after an attack on his person by some human men who seemed to take exception to Saxton's homosexuality, Saxton is forced to move into the Brotherhood mansion for medical help. With he and Blay in such close proximity, it is inevitable that things escalate quickly in their relationship, and it is only a matter of days before Blaylock allows himself to be seduced by Saxton. Once more, Qhuinn is witness to the event, only this time he finds himself accidentally on the other side of Saxton's locked bedroom door, listening to the undeniable sounds of Blaylock's first time with a man. Knowing he's missed being Blay's first male lover causes Qhuinn a great deal of emotional pain, and it's then that he realises that he's fallen in love with his best friend, despite their estrangement. With that revelation comes others, and Qhuinn decides it's time for him to get his life in order. He stops sleeping around, takes all his piercings out (minus the tongue), and cuts his hair. He starts working out excessively and takes dangerous missions out in the field, seeking out Lessers or the Band of Bastards to fight to burn off his frustrations. He also cuts down on his food intake, and sees less of Layla (who he's been secretly teaching 'sex lessons' to on the side). During this time, Saxton moves into Blaylock's bedroom and the lawyer-Vampire begin working on a secret project for Wrath II, which he refuses to divulge to anyone, even Blay. Nearly a year later, Autumn goes into her needing in the house -- which triggers Layla's needing. Qhuinn services her, as the two decide to have a child together. This sets Blaylock off, and in a fit of jealous anger, he takes his feelings out on Saxton (their sex is rough, bordering on dubious consent, although it can be stated that Saxton baited Blay as well, knowing full well the outcome). Between that episode and Saxton's secret work taking up hours of his time, things become strained between Saxton and Blay thereafter. Things come to a head between Qhuinn and Blay, finally, when they set out to recover Qhuinn's stolen Hummer (''Lover At Last). Qhuinn makes it clear to Blay that he's not with Layla, that what they did was a one-time deal so she could get pregnant and they could have a child, as they both want a loving family, since this is what he and Layla both lack in their lives. Foreign Translations Qhuinn's name in other languages: * Kurinn - Japanese it:Qhuinn Category:Vampire